Dubai, UAE – GMS, the world’s largest buyer of ships and offshore assets for recycling, has reached a powerful new milestone in its drive to transform safety in the ship recycling industry: over 10,000 yard workers across India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan have now received free, high-impact safety awareness training through the company’s flagship initiative—the Sustainable Ship and Offshore Recycling Program (SSORP).

This achievement marks a first for the industry and signals growing momentum ahead of the IMO’s Hong Kong Convention (HKC), which enters into force in June 2025 and sets international standards for safe and environmentally sound ship recycling.

What began in 2016 as a focused Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) effort has now evolved into the largest grassroots safety training movement in the world in the ship recycling sector, directly empowering 10,085 workers through 663 tailored sessions spanning more than 66 critical safety topics. These include Safe-for-Entry protocols, Working at Height, Confined-Space Entry, Fire Safety, First Aid, Hazardous Waste Handling, and more. Each session is delivered in local languages, with practical demonstrations and mock drills, designed specifically to resonate with workers who may have limited formal education.

“Eight years ago, we saw a gap—and stepped in,” said Dr. Anil Sharma, Founder and CEO of GMS.
“We believed then, as we do now, that even one injury or fatality is too many. With the Hong Kong Convention now becoming a global standard, we’re proud that our efforts have prepared thousands of workers with the safety awareness they need to succeed in the next chapter of this industry.”

Dr. Anand Hiremath, Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of SSORP, added:
“Our sessions go beyond lectures—they’re practical, visual, and relatable. Workers leave not just informed but empowered to take action, prevent accidents, and look out for one another. That’s where real change happens—on the ground, one worker at a time.”

Looking ahead, GMS plans to deepen its impact through the integration of Virtual Reality (VR)-based safety simulations, alongside a scalable “Train-the-Trainer” framework to further expand local capacity for delivering ongoing safety education.
The SSORP initiative remains completely free for all yard workers and is now expanding to other sectors of the maritime and industrial value chain.

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